No, not the NCAA football National Championship–the Nordic Ski Nationals in Anchorage, Alaska. The first race is in the books with my former Middlebury teammate Simi Hamilton taking the men’s sprint title. Kikkan Randall won the women’s, with CXC skier Rebecca Dussault taking second. I ended up qualifying second in the sprint for the third consecutive [...]
While the $1,200 check for the winner of each race isn’t anything to complain about, the real prize awaiting competitors at the end of the 2010 U.S. Nationals isn’t the money. Instead, it’s a spot on the U.S. team for the Olympic Games in Whistler, which kick off a little more than a month from now. Currently, the U.S.’s quota for the Games stands at eight, and just who gets the last few positions (most...
After four years in college, Simi Hamilton isn’t supposed to know how to sprint. Try telling that to Mike Hinckley. With 500 meters to go in the freestyle sprint at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Hinckley made a huge move on the field, passing Hamilton on the outside of the last significant hill on the course. After finishing second last year, it looked like Hinckley had this one in the bag. But on the ensuing downhill,...
If there are two things I learned in Professor Frank Winkler’s physics class, Introduction to the Universe, it is that: 1. A lunar eclipse can only occur during a full moon and 2. the moon looks larger when it is closer to the horizon, not because it is “enlarged” in any way, but because it [...]
The winter solstice is barely a week behind us and Anchorage is still very much in the dark. The sun starts rising around 9am. Fortunately, there’s no ” – ” in front of the 14F like there was last year. The distant Chugach Mountains make for a cool panorama around the city. We’ve been waiting to [...]
Is it possible to go for over a week without internet? Yes. And it’s good to know the world keeps on spinning without it. garrottkuzzy.com is back, signing in from Anchorage, Alaska. For now, though, let’s take a look back at several highlights from the past week. I’m not really into politics, but one politician I respect [...]
The first period of World Cup racing has come to an end and I could not be happier with the result. Taking over the Yellow bib in the last race really was a dream come true for me. I am honored to be the first American to reach the top of the World Cup rankings. [...]
At this weekend’s NorAms in Canmore Drew Goldsack and Stefan Kuhn were able to sprint their way to victory – Kuhn in Saturday’s classic sprint and Goldsack in Sunday’s classic sprint – all but ensuring a spot on the Canadian Olympic Team. Kuhn will also race in the third NorAm held this morning, a 50km classic race. Watch for Kuhn to be a contender, as he has proven himself strong at this event by winning the 50 km...
Just finished the last weekend of racing on the fall tour. The week in Canmore has been solid and relatively uneventful. The organizers built a new classic sprint course to deter double-poling on skate skis. They added two solid climbs which improved it significantly. Speaking of improved, the Canadians skied strong this weekend on their [...]
“I guess that’s the best team result I’ve seen so far”, head coach Per Nilsson couldn’t help smiling after today’s sprint competition in Pokljuka, Slovenia. With three US athletes starting in tomorrow’s pursuit there are plenty of things to be happy about – or to even pray for. Burke has Chance on Yellow Bib Tim Burke’s eighth place in the sprint competition would already be amazing without the fact that he has a great chance...
Most of the CXC Team Vertical Limit is back in the Midwest for the Holidays. Garrott Kuzzy and Audrey Weber will be representing our crew in Canmore next weekend. You can check in on them HERE. Bryan and I are in Lakeville, MN right now. Today I will head over to Hayward for Ski and Tea [...]
Holiday Ski Clinic with Garrott Kuzzy Wednesday, December 23, 9:00am -10:30am Wirth Park Chalet Join Garrott Kuzzy (USST/CXC) and the Hopkins High School ski team for a Holiday Ski Clinic at the Wirth Park Chalet in Minneapolis from 9:00 – 10:30am on Wednesday, December 23. The skate clinic will be geared towards high school skiers, but everyone [...]
Canmore is awesome. The CXC Team left Silver Star on Monday and I moved in with the national team – a small group including Morgan Smyth, Lindsay Williams, and coach Abi Holt. Monday was a relaxing day off, doing almost nothing, after a full weekend of racing at Sovereign. We spent Tuesday on the road, [...]
Ben Sim set history for his country at the opening races of this World Cup season when he took 30th place in the Beitostollen 15km skate, becoming the first Australian cross country skier to earn distance points in a World Cup. Sim grew up in Cooma, Australia, and started skiing with his parents at age 10. Just six years later he was already traveling overseas to compete in FIS and OPA cup races. 2003 was his breakthrough year, as Sim...
Bring in the chains. Canadian sprinter Phil Widmer got me at the line to take the NorAm Skate Sprint at Sovereign Lake yesterday. Sprint racing is just plain fun and there was some exciting, close racing yesterday. Congrats to Phil on a great race. Kicking back in Silver Star today and getting ready to move [...]
(translated from a press release posted on December 13th) The first FIS marathon on this season’s calendar, La Sgambeda, took place over the weekend. It is the 20th running of this 42km event which is held in Livigno, Italy. 1700 skiers completed the race, of which there were nine countries represented in the top eleven men finishers and twelve countries in the top twenty women finishers. As has happened before in the men’s race of this event, the winner was decided on the...
Today’s team relay wrapped up the weekend for IBU World Cup #3, held in Hochfilzen Austria. The women’s relay was a competitive race from the start with Russia, Germany, and France as the teams to catch at the heart of the race. Sweden’s Helena Johnsson, who won yesterday’s pursuit race after shooting all her stages cleanly, again made it through the range without penalties and was able to pull her team back into the competition. Ultimately it was Russia’s anchor skier...
Great day for the men – and women – in black. Four CXC in the Top-6 on the mens side, two in the Top-5 for the women. Kelly took the top spot in the womens open race at ABR, along with our juniors posting some solid results. Podium shots: Bryan Fish images (man, that guy knows [...]
I’ve heard the term “ski-in, ski-out,” but never actually knew what it meant. I just assumed it referred to the hill side condos at alpine ski areas. It turns out, that all of Silver Star Resort is ski-in, ski-out. To make this possible, there is an extensive network of ski trails that connect all the [...]